Decoy



Dec. 23, 1941. G. v. soLJLE DECOY Filed April 21; 1941 FlG.

lNvENToR. EEE-PQE V Emule ATTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 23, 1941 yDECOY George Vannah Soule, Freeport, Maine Application April 21, 1941, Serial No. 389,658

I (Cl. 43-3) 5 Claims.

vThis invention relates to improvements in decoys.

The primary object of this invention is the provision of a decoy, simulating a duck, goose or other flight swimmer having an improved body and head construction, whereby the head may with facility be detached or moved relative to the body.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a bird decoy of the type adapted Vto float upon water having improved means to mount the head upon the body so that the head may with facility be detached for shipping pur-l poses, or readily-turned to various positions rela-V tive to the body Vso as to simulate different head and body postures which a live bird, such as a duck or goose, simulates while floating upon the water.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent during the course of the following detailed description.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts thruout the several views,

Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section showing the head and body construction of th decoy. f

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the decoy.

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the decoy.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional view showing the relation of the head mounting in the body of the decoy.

In the accompany drawing, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown only a preferred embodiment of the invention, the letter A may generally designate the duck, including a body construction B and a head construction C.

The body construction of the decoy is important, in that it includes a base member I0, preferably of wood. It is flat and of uniform thickness except at the front and side edges where the same is beveled convergently downward, as shown at II, in Figures 1 and 3 of the drawing. This board or base I has a front elongated oval-shape and terminates in a tail portion I2.

The body B is preferably formed of granular cork admixed with a hard setting cement so as to produce voids 9 thruout the body of the duck, and exposed upon the body of the duck. The material is preferably black or of other color to simulate the particular bird represented by the decoy. The material at the side and front edges is sloped divergently upward at I3, flush with the beveled edges II of the base ID, except fui at the rear or tail of the decoy where the side and rear edges of the body B are vertical, except at the extreme top edge where the material is beveled, as shown at I6. The body B is shaped otherwise to conform to the body of a duck, and

the top of the body terminates in a hump II, representative of the backbone peak of the duck or decoy, which is placed relative to the head C `of the duck so that the bill of the head C will engage the sides of the hump I1, preventing the turning of the head C completely backwards, as willbe obvious from Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing;

A non-corrosive metal tube sock-et is verti cally positioned in the body of the duck B, extending thru the cork portion of the body and also the wooden base I0. The lower edge of this tube 25 is flush with the bottom surface of the base I0, and the top of the body cork is flattened at 21 surrounding the passageway provided by the tube 25; the latter terminating at its'top edge ush with the flattened surface 21.

The decoy head C' preferably includes a head portion proper 30, of which the bill 2U is a part. It is preferably of wood and at the neck juncture provides a flat bottom surface, upwardly socketed at 3l to receive a wooden spindle or pin 33, preferably anchored by a nail or pin 34, as shown in Figure 1 of the drawing. This wooden spindle 33 Ais of uniform diameter and readily ts within the passageway 35 of the tube socket 25, so that it can be freely inserted and removed with respect to this passageway 35. The bottom surface of the duck head rests upon the flat surface 21 and in this connection it should be noted that the edges of the duck head, as shown in Figure 4, may engage against an edge 4I of the cork portion of the body B directly behind the flattened portion 21, in order to limit the turning movement of the head of the duck to an angle of 180, as can be seen from Figure 4. However, by a slight lifting movement, the head of the duck can be turned to the position shown in Figure 2, but at this position the bill 2l] of the duck will hit the hump II of the body. Thus, the head of the duck is limited to natural position with respect to the body B,

When the head of the duck is assembled upon the body, the spindle 33 projects slightly below the bottom surface of the base II) and there is provided with a ring, eye or suitable opening, designated at adapted to receive in detachable relation a line and an anchor. It is to be noted that the entire spindle 33 and the attaching eye 50 are freely insertable and removable with respect to the passageway 35, and that there are no other parts attached to the head of the duck which prevent the instant attachment and detachment of the head with respect to the body. I am aware that it has heretofore been proposed to screw thread the heads of decoys upon bodies, or to provide heads having complicated gearing and lever anchoring expedients, but in all such cases the heads of the ducks are not removablefreely and instantly from the bodies. 'This is `sometimes of considerable importance, particularly where it is desired to quickly set out decoys, and it is of considerable importance in connection with shipping of the decoys to have the heads removed, in order to prevent breakage.

Various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be made tothe form-of finvention herein shown and described, withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention or the scope 'of thefollowing,y claims.

I claim:

1. As anfarticle ofrnanufacture, a .decoy simulating a 4swimming bird comprising a floatable bodyportionhaving at the fore'thereof apassageway 1`extending 'from the top .to the bottom of 'the body and vertically opening at 'the top and bottom,iand fa decoy head Shaving agspindle freely :insertable and removable ,thru said "pas- Sageway, :in lits fentire'ty, said spindle 'at .the lewe/bend :thereof having means for detachable connection of an anchor line thereto, said last mentioned means being'free of any lateral penlargements wherebyzit is v,freely insertable `and removable :thru said passageway together Awith thespindle.

Y2. As an article of manufacture, :a :floating decoy :comprising a body portion having avertical passageway `thru the fore portion thereof opening at the topand bottom of the body, a non-corrosive metal tube in said passageway and itself having .a passageway opening at the top and'bottom of the Lbody, and ahead portion having'a reducedpin freely insertable and removable thru the passageway of said tube, said pinatlits lower end'being free kof any lateral enlargements which 'would yprevent the free insertion and removal instantly `of the `pin from the ypassageway ofsaid tube.

i3. As van article Vof manufacture, va floating decoy comprising a wooden base having the side and fore edges thereof beveled convergently downwardly, a main body portion of cork disposed in hard setting cement and provided with voids fastened upon said base and having the front and rear surfaces iiush with the adjacent side edges of said base, and a head for the body, said body having a Vertical passageway therethru at the front thereof opening at the top and bottom of the main cork body and wooden base, a metallic non-corrosive tubular sleeve in said passageway having itself a passageway open- .;ing at the top and bottom of the floating body,

a wooden head, and a wooden pin freely insertfable and removable with respect to the passage- Way .of Ysaid tube, said pin projecting slightly below the bottom surface of the wooden base and `there being provided with means for detachably connecting a line and anchor thereto, said means being freely insertable and removable thru the passageway of said tube.

4. As an article of manufacture, a floating decoy comprising a body having a front vertical passageway therethru opening at the top and bottom ofthe body, a head portion, a pin removably insertable into the passageway aforesaid and adapted to project slightly below the bottom surface of the body, and an anchor line attaching ring upon the lower end of said pin below :the `bottom of the body, said pin and ring beingfreely insertable and Yremovable thru the passageway .of said body.

5.1`As-an article of manufacture, a decoy simulating .a :swimming bird comprising a wooden base, a compressed cemented granular cork main body mounted upon said wooden base shaped to conform to the body of a floating bird, said cork body and the wooden base having a forward passageway vertically-extending from the top of the cork body to the bottom of the wooden base, a wooden head having a reduced wooden spindle depending therefrom and adapted for rotatable disposition in the passageway of the cork body and wooden base, fsaid spindle at its lower end below the wooden base having an anchor line ring secured thereto of a size whereby the spindle and the ring may be freely drawn upwardly thru the passageway aforesaid to facilitate detachment of the head from the body of the duck.

GEORGE VANNAH SOULE. 

